A female pilot is alleged to have been slapped by her male co-pilot on a flight from London to Mumbai.
Two senior pilots have been grounded by Indian airline Jet Airways after they became embroiled in a row in the cockpit during a flight from Mumbai to London on 1 January.
According to the Times of India, the female captain of the Boeing 777 Jet Airways plane left the cockpit in tears shortly after departure from London after it was alleged by unnamed sources quoted by the paper that she had been slapped by her male co-pilot.
The Times of India report claims that, after cabin crew failed to convince the pilot to return to the cockpit, the male co-pilot also left the cockpit – leaving it unmanned – to persuade her to return, which she did.
A second altercation is reported to have occurred which prompted the pilot to once again leave the cockpit before she was convinced to return by members of the cabin crew.
The plane, which was carrying 324 people, landed safely in Mumbai in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 2 January.
In a statement, a Jet Airways spokesperson confirmed that an incident had occurred on the flight and that the pilots involved had been “derostered” as a result.
“A misunderstanding occurred between the cockpit crew of Jet Airways flight 9W 119, London – Mumbai of 1 January, 2018,” the statement read.
“However, the same was quickly resolved amicably and the flight with 324 guests including two infants and 14 crew continued its journey to Mumbai, landing safely. The airline has reported the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the concerned crew have been derostered pending an internal investigation that has since been initiated.
“At Jet Airways, safety of guests, crew and assets is of paramount importance and the airline has zero tolerance for any action of its employees that compromises safety.”
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